‘No!’ Even in the safety of her home, Georgie could feel nervous, prickly perspiration break out and she cleared her throat before continuing. ‘No, I think it would be nice for us all to have a meal out. I’m dying to hear all about your day…it’s been such a long time since you’ve ventured out shopping, Didi…’ And this, she reminded herself, was what it was all about: Didi recapturing that spark that had disappeared from her life over the past few months.
‘Oh, you don’t want to hear me going on, Georgie…’
Georgie, with a sinking heart, detected something of a girlish giggle. ‘Of course I do!’ she said brightly. ‘Pierre and I can…can always catch up…um…later…’#p#分页标题#e##p#分页标题#e#
‘Of course you can! Well…’ Georgie heard her ask Pierre for timings and she shivered at the deep timbre of his voice as he indistinctly said something in the background, then Didi was back on the line, ‘we’ll pop across for you at about seven. A little early, but no point risking more poor weather by being out too late!’
Georgie couldn’t agree more. She wanted to be firmly tucked up in her own bed tonight.
Meal at seven. Surely it wasn’t asking too much to be back home and shutting her front door by ten?
With that optimistic thought in mind, she dressed, unusually for her, in something more sophisticated than she was accustomed to wearing. Actually, the only sophisticated outfit in her wardrobe. A long-sleeved, figure-hugging dress in deep burgundy and, instead of her usual flat, sensible, weatherproof Doc Martins, a pair of high heels, which might not be practical for the weather but were certainly essential Chez Zola footwear. She had never been to the restaurant, but she had heard enough about it to know that the casual look would not go down a storm.
‘Nice outfit,’ Pierre said as she opened the door to him and began sticking on her black coat. ‘Shame about the woolly hat.’
‘I don’t intend to wear it in the restaurant,’ Georgie snapped.
She had braced herself for seeing him but was still, idiotically, taken aback by how supremely sexy he looked, dark coat casually flapping open to reveal a crisp white shirt and dark trousers. Every bit of her felt horribly alive and alert to his presence, a fact she disguised under a scowl as she defensively yanked the woolly hat a bit lower.
‘And you’re wearing shoes.’
‘I usually do!’
‘Of a workmanlike variety.’
‘Yes, well, they happen to be very useful in my kind of career! It’s not practical to do playground duty in a pair of kitten heels!’
‘Now, now,’ Pierre chided. ‘Snapping isn’t very romantic behaviour with your lover, is it?’
He had spent a surprisingly restful day in the company of his mother. Having never been shopping with her before, or at least as far back as he could remember, he had not, over the passing years, noticed how much more tentative she was on her feet, relying on holding onto his arm as they ambled along the high street. Her spirits were high but her physical capabilities were more limited than he had expected and perhaps it was the arm-in-arm contact, but they had actually communicated without any formality or restraint.
He had not once glanced at his watch and wondered what was happening at the office, nor had he insisted on taking calls on his mobile because the cutthroat world of business, as he had often been wont to explain to her, didn’t take time off when he happened to.
All in all he was feeling on top of the world.
‘You’re not my lover,’ Georgie muttered, bristling and pink-cheeked.
Not yet, Pierre caught himself thinking and he smiled to himself. This morning had been something of a revelation for him. The awkward tomboy who had matured into the thoroughly irritating woman had been neither tomboy-ish nor irritating. And she had wanted him. Never mind her protests to the contrary.
‘Oh, but we wouldn’t want Didi to suspect that, would we?’ He slipped his arm around her waist and got the distinct impression that she would have slapped it away if only she could have got away with it. As it was, he ushered her to the waiting Bentley, opening the door for her and slamming it shut once she was safely inside.
They had had a marvellous day, lots of shopping. Didi was in top form as they drove to the restaurant and she looked it as well, her cheeks pink, her eyes lively, and she had taken an awful lot of trouble with her clothes. It was a joy to see. She was wearing her favourite deep green checked skirt and a dark green jumper, which, she confided to Georgie as Pierre went ahead of them to chat to the manager, Pierre had insisted on buying for her.#p#分页标题#e##p#分页标题#e#